A Million Galaxies
by mistyblue814
Summary: A short Kanera AU fic, Knight Kanan Jarrus of the Jedi Order. In this AU, Caleb survives the Clone Wars, renaming himself as Kanan Jarrus when he becomes a Jedi Knight. However, he found himself straying from the Council's rules after he falls for a beautiful Twi'lek not too long after being Knighted.
1. Chapter 1

_**Chapter Summary: Kanan makes his decision.**_

As Hera parked the Ghost in the lot on the ground of Coruscant, the lower levels of the city buzzed. Hera was so used to the darkness, grime, and noise that she barely noticed it anymore. She knew where to park that was safer than other places and knew how to keep herself safe. If she didn't, she wouldn't have lasted long in this business.

When Hera watched the ramp of the Ghost lower itself, she heard Chopper moving towards the control panel, talking to itself. She knew she could bet money on it that he was complaining about the person she was meeting with again and she smiled slightly, but decided to let it go. Sometimes things just could not be helped.

As the Twi'lek walked down the ramp when it was finally on the ground, she heard a couple of beings walk past, whispering to each other or talking in drunken play. She ignored them as best as she could. Her mind was wandering to someone else, and her heart was already searching for him. It had been months since she had last seen him, so when he told her he would be at their regular meeting place to meet her, it was the happiest news that Hera heard all week, and the thing she had been looking forward to for days.

Looking into the open doorway of the canteen that they regularly went to, Hera's gaze searched for a tall man in hooded robes. Sure enough, he was standing by the doorway, keeping his distance but also watching over the lot, being weary and dodging drunks as they moved in and out of the doorway. The music echoed a bit in the streets, bouncing off the different ships.

Hera smiled, feeling relief as she spotted the figure, immediately knowing who it was. Kanan always wore his robes and hood when they were meeting with each other. It helped to keep Kanan out of sight and mind, making him easy to blend in with his surroundings so much that even most sober beings didn't give him a second glance.

All the while when she was looking at him, she didn't realize that he was thinking about the conversation he had with his former Master a couple of days ago.

 _"You can't follow in the ways of the Jedi as long as you stay with her. Your attachments will cloud your judgement and progress. The Council will make you choose."_

 _"Then you won't like my answer."_

When Kanan spotted her walking towards him, he began to walk over to her as well. Getting closer, she saw the relaxed smile on his face. She gave him one back, not being able to help the small tug on her lips.

Meeting halfway, his hood had slipped down by the time they came together. He was smiling down at her, and she up at him. Within seconds she felt more comfortable just with being close to him. He always seemed to have that effect on her, and he told her that she him. She remembered how he told her that even just thinking of her while on his missions to other worlds made him feel better almost instantly. Or how he lived for the nights that they were together.

It had been a complicated and was mostly a long distance relationship. Hera was away often for smuggling and other acts she was paid for and Kanan was not often on Coruscant now that he was a Knight. It wasn't just his Jedi duties, but also his own extra work in helping the rehabilitation of the clones, now retired in war, and helping them find ways to treat their growing addictions and PTSD. Hera had always tried to help as best she could, usually making sizeable donations that only Kanan knew were from her. But between everything, having a night alone, or even just meeting for a couple of hours in secret were hard to find, especially as things were getting busier and another threat of war was upon the Republic.

As complicated and distant as their relationship could be, everything always seemed so simple to Hera when they were together.

As he took her hands, Kanan leaned in to kiss her, the kiss lasting for a couple of seconds before he pulled back and stared back down at her again.

"I swear that you get more beautiful every time that I see you," Kanan smiled.

Hera rolled her eyes.

"You are starting early tonight," Hera joked.

Kanan's smile widened and he regarded her for a moment before looking up and over her shoulder towards the Ghost.

"Well, before we spend some time with some rowdy drunks, do you think I can make a request?" he joked.

Hera shrugged, playing along.

"Perhaps. It depends on the request. I am a very busy girl you know."

"The pretty ones always are," Kanan smiled.

Hera couldn't help but roll her eyes again. This time she was sure that she heard it this time.

"You are being overly corny tonight," Hera told him. She then looked up at him and shrugged, "but I guess I can ponder on your request."

Kanan did not miss a beat.

"I will require some space on the Ghost for quite a bit," Kanan told her, a joking smile on his lips. "It'd be nice to get out of that terrible hotel."

Raising an eyebrow, she shook her head and laughed lightly, playing along with the joke. Staying in a hotel? That was new, but then again she knew he made that joke before.

"And can I ask why?"

"I left the Order."

Within seconds Hera's entire joking mood dropped when she could see from Kanan's expression that he was serious.

There was a pause of silence. Out of all the answers that Hera could ever think of, that was not one of them. His strict face had a purely honest expression. Hera felt as though her heart was starting to skip beats. Her breathing paused as Hera froze in surprise about that information.

She felt her stomach starting to think.

No.

Oh no.

"Kanan…." Hera finally breathed out, her voice slightly shaky. "You…you can't…Kanan the Temple is your life! You can't do this just for…"

 _You can't just do this for me._

She couldn't say the last part.

Hera felt her stomach twisting in fear and guilt. She couldn't do this to Kanan. She could allow him to give up everything he had in his life at the Temple just for _her_.

"Hera…" Kanan tried to explain, but Hera hurriedly interuptted him.

"Kanan, you need to go back," Hera said, her voice in slight panic. "You can't leave your life just because of me, Kanan. You can't ruin your life like this."

Kanan's face twisted in slight surprise and true confusion.

"Hera, do you think that I'm ruining my life doing this?" he asked.

The Twi'lek couldn't answer him. She looked down, guilt painted all over her face.

Kanan was patient though. His hands held her face gently, moving it so that her face was turned up to look up at his. He stared down at her, his eyes soft and loving as he stared into her's. His thumbs gently stroked over her cheeks to both calm her and in loving tenderness.

"Hera," Kanan told her softly, "when forced to make the decision, I had my answer before they were done asking the question. I can live without them, Hera. I can't live without you."

Feeling as though she couldn't breathe, Hera stared back up at him, her eyes searching his. There was no guilt or regret to be found anywhere, only pure devotion. She felt her breath catch her in throat for a brief second before it was finally able to breathe out. She thought that she felt sick to her stomach, but then realized that it was butterflies, a magic taking her over all over again.

Kanan could see her slight bewilderment and he continued to tell her, his voice soft in persuasion, "no matter if the Council members asked me a thousand times, in a thousand cities, in a thousand worlds, and in a thousand galaxies, I will _always_ choose you."

Those words only made Hera's stomach flutter even more. She gulped, trying to find her voice before she whispered, still not fully believing what had happened, "I love you, too."

She watched Kanan smile down at her before leaning down. The Twi'lek closed her eyes and kissed him back when she felt his rough lips against her soft ones. The kiss was soft yet deep, both of them knowing that it was more than just a kiss. It was an acceptance and an expression of the unveiled devotion that they felt for each other. It was of unity, a connection that neither had truly, purely, completely accepted or felt before.

By the time Hera pulled back, her own hands were gently at the top of Kanan's neck, holding him. As she pulled away, Hera gently guided Kanan's head down as she leaned in, moving their foreheads together, leaning against each other. Hera smiled before a very soft chuckle rumbled in her throat.

"You are the most amazing, and the stupidest man I've ever met, Kanan," Hera joked. "Thank goodness their is a place on the Ghost for you."

She felt Kanan shake in slight laughter, both of their smiles widening.

"You're everything to me, Hera," Kanan told her gently. "It'll always be you. In a million different galaxies, I will always choose you."

Hera smiled, taking in a deep breath to try and calm her rapidly beating heart.

"And I will love you back," Hera replied in a soft voice, feeling the connection between the two intwining even more, "in every single one."


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Hi everyone! This isn't a complete Kanera based excerpt however it is needed for what the others will contain in this AU. This years after Kanan left the Order, however before the crew found Ezra (that will come either next excerpt or the one after). Although not 100% Kanera, it does have Kanera elements! I hope that you enjoy and please tell me what you think!_

 _ **Excerpt Two**_

Even in his sleep Kanan could tell that he was tossing in his bed. He wanted to wake up, but he also found at the same time he couldn't. There was darkness of sleep before he suddenly felt himself dropping, something in the galaxy dropping and twisting, a void growing to show more, to encompass everything. He twisted, wanting to move away but at the same time he couldn't breathe.

The slow ticking was now setting off a larger alarm, seemingly getting louder and louder. There was no sound around him, nothing moving, but he could sense it, the silence making more noise, bursting his eardrums and suffocating him. The void was becoming larger. The pain…the suffering…now he was sure he heard screaming…

Kanan shot up in the bed, breathing headily, gasping for air again. His lungs and chest aching, feeling stuffed and squeezed at the same time. No matter how he gasped, he felt like he couldn't breathe. His mind was in a buzz before realizing that it felt like his ears were ringing, along with echos of screams. His eyes searched wildly at nothing, almost around the Force or his own mind to try and make sense of the fear coursing through him and the Force.

"Kanan?"

Before the word was completely out of Hera's mouth, Kanan had already jumped out of bed, moving quickly from and to the doorway, almost tripping a bit on the covers as he moved. Confused, Hera moved after him, moving out of the bed, now wide awake, as she went to follow him.

"Kanan?" she asked again, raising her voice slightly. What was the time, even?

Moving until she was right behind him when he stopped to open his door, she realized how he was still breathing heavily, his skin almost pale.

Gently gripping his upper arm, she asked him again, "Kanan, what's going on?"

"Something is wrong." Kanan answered, his voice deep and worried, his chest still rising and falling with rapid breaths, "there is a shift, a _cut_ , in the Force."

"Kanan, talk to me," Hera tried to move in front of him when the door opened, but Kanan only pushed past her quicker than she could stop him.

"I need to meditate, Hera," was his only reply before he suddenly shut the door, cutting them off.

Hera could only stare at the doorway, shocked and confused. She couldn't remember Kanan this confused or upset, or afraid before. Staring at the closed door, she heard only silence on the other side, and from the hallway. the only noise coming from the ventilation shafts and her own breathing. Zeb and Sabine were still sleeping soundly.

After a couple of moments, Hera finally moved back from the doorway before going across to their quarters. She laid on the bed for a while, eyes open and wondering what was going on, what had happened in the galaxy.

She didn't get her answer until a few hours later when she met up with Sabine and Zeb for breakfast. They heard the urgent news all over the holonet, videos and images that managed to break past the communication blocks, of the invasion of Alderaan that happened hours before. Images of droids and heavy artillery across the planet as they swept into towns and across fields, the screams of the people, images of some getting shot down by a blaster. The New Republic was already setting up a meeting to come together.

"What's going to happen now?" Kanan heard Sabine's muffled voice from his room, his eyes still closed in focus.

"War," Hera answered her.

~.~

It had been a while since Hera was out of her pilot form in public. Around the crew it was sometimes rare. However, she didn't want to bring too much notice to them, as per Kanan's request. It felt odd to go out and around people going to the cafe on Coruscant without it, as though she was without armour. She missed the weight of it, the barrier she felt she had on. But she realized no one was really looking at her anyway, no one was making her a target.

The entire planet was in a frenzy. People and sentient beings of every species were either running into looting and fear, or they were in their own homes, boarding up in fear of the invasion of Coruscant. It was the day after the invasion of Alderaan and the holonet, especially in screens all over the planet, had been reporting the incident non-stop. There was no new information, but people kept it on and kept reporting it with the same images and messages anyway.

The implication didn't need to be said. People were waiting on when the New Republic would declare war.

Jolting back slightly as someone moved past her quickly, hitting his shoulder with hers, Hera looked back at the dark haired man, but kept walking with Kanan. Looking around, she was sure that she had never seen the main city this dead.

"We're a little late," Kanan told her, sensing her feelings and trying to get her mind off them, "their probably already there."

Hera nodded absentmindedly. She couldn't remember when Kanan told her he was contacted, however she insisted on going with him anyway as support.

Walking towards the café, after turning the corner she could see two people waiting by the doors, though at this distance they were like shadows, one taller than the other. However, by the outline she recognized the one man easily both from the past and because it was in thousands of others across the galaxy.

Looking towards Kanan, barely moving her head, she saw the determined look in his eye, how his shoulders were straighter and stiffer than they had been in years, not since the Clone Wars. She didn't know what to say since it happened, but she hoped this visit would help him too.

Moving closer, the familiar face was proven to her, and a new one looking at her inquisitively just as much as she was.

The two of them stopped in front of the other and it was the woman who broke her smile first the instant her eyes laid on Kanan.

"It is good to see you again," the woman said, her voice soft and guided.

Looking into Kanan's face, she saw by the sway of his feet and the glint in his eye how he had the thought to embrace her. Instead though, he turned back to Hera.

"Hera, this is my old Master, Depa," Kanan told her with a smile before continuing "And Depa, this is Hera."

Before Hera could offer any greetings herself, Depa was already speaking to her.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Hera," the Jedi Master told her graciously, "although I do wish it was under better circumstances."

Hearing that, Hera didn't realize how much she was hoping for those words until now. Depa may not have been Kanan's biological mother, but she was still an incredibly important person to him and Kanan admitted to her how Depa was sometimes like a mother figure to him. She didn't know what the woman would think about her, seeing as she was ultimately what led Kanan to realize he didn't want to be in the Jedi Order. But the way this woman seemed to glow with her smile led Hera to shed her worries.

"I'm also really happy to meet you," Hera admitted, hoping her shoulders were relaxing a bit. The woman kept smiling. "I've heard so much about you."

So this was Depa? Hera had heard many stories about her both in talks around the galaxy and from Kanan, but Hera didn't quite know how to imagine her. She knew that she had seen images of her before over the years but it was nothing compared to the woman in front of her. This woman was radiant, a sense of majestic of her appearance and by what you could see of her in her eyes. This woman of grace and calmness and beauty was Kanan's mentor, the person who taught him the ways of the Force and who guided and cared for him for years. She was more stunning, more graceful, and bolder than Hera ever imagined she would be.

As the woman turned to look at her, Hera almost felt small and shy, something she never felt when meeting someone before. She had both of her parent's confidence, but staring at Depa now seemed like she was staring at a legend.

The older woman smiled at her when their gaze finally met. Hera forced herself to smile despite the small static of nerves going through her. But before she could try and offer any conversation, Styles was the one to start up first.

"Damn, Kid," Styles grinned, tilting his head slightly as he looked at Kanan, "you really grew out your hair."

Kanan rolled his eyes at his nickname before he giving him a playful glare before firing back, moving a hand up to grace along his scalp and over his hair, "at least I still got mine."

Styles barked out a small laugh before shaking his head, getting more comfortable in the new space as Hera led them to a table.

"You always did know how to make a come back," the old clone grinned, patting Kanan's shoulder, a bright smile on his face to match Kanan's and Hera's.

Watching them, remembering their first mission all those years ago, the same smile appeared on Depa's face as it had then. And she noticed that they held the same smiles back then as they did now, even with all the years that have passed.

Still grinning from Kanan's joke, Styles turned more to Hera again. Looking back at him, she gave him a smile back and looked over his features a bit more closely. She had seen him multiple times over the years, however it had been a while since she had last seen him. She had met hundreds of clones over the years, both because Kanan introduced her and the others and because she had worked with and donated to the Rehabilitation Centres for so long.

He looked a little older than she last saw him, a few more wrinkles to his face but he didn't have many in the first place. As the clones got older, many found out that the aging process was starting to slow physically, however the multiple health problems, especially on the heart, only exaggerated. She had only seen him with hair a few times in the earlier years, but as it was getting greyer he had decided to just shave it. She hadn't spoken to him often at first until she had met Kanan. There were so many clones in the centres, and who just visited for the services, that she couldn't quite meet all of them. She wasn't visiting them nearly enough anyway. But after talking with Kanan enough times, she was quickly introduced with the multiple clones Kanan had worked with that were still alive, especially Styles.

Even though Hera didn't know it, Styles was the first person Kanan admitted his love for Hera to. Not just an infatuation, but when he knew that he wanted to be with her. Styles was the person Kanan talked to about their relationship. Styles helped him work through his guilt over wanting to be with Hera, yet feeling guilty about wanting to go against the Jedi way. If it weren't for Styles encouragement, telling him to go for something he truly wanted, for something that he was so sure would make him happy, then Kanan never would have gotten close with Hera. He never would have realized a couple of months in he was starting to realize it was Hera he wanted as a constant in his life. And it was Styles that helped Kanan come to the conclusion he had known all along.

Styles could still remember how Kanan's eyes would shine when he would talk about her.

"It's good to see you again, Hera," Styles told her. "You are looking well."

Hera smiled before nodding, "you too. You're looking really good."

Kanan grinned before butting in, "she means for your age."

Hera had to hold in her snort as she turned to him and rolled her eyes, but Kanan wasn't looking at her. He and Styles were still laughing with each other. She moved her gaze and it caught with Depa's as the two smiled at each other. After a moment, Depa turned her head and told them, "we should continue this inside. We have much to discuss."

Although with smiles still evident on their faces, the two of them nodded and followed the older woman into the café.

There was a weird sense of pastel to the walls and colour of the general store, but none of the colour schemes were actually pastel colours. It almost made Hera's eyes footsteps echoed louder than the music that was playing. It was completely empty for a dinner hour. Not many people were probably wanting to get out this soon. As they found a booth, a Togrutan waitress followed them a few steps after they sat down, Kanan and her on one side with Styles and Depa on the other.

"Can I get you anything?" the woman asked, probably eager to do something than stand by the bar set up.

The four of them looked at each other before Depa answered simply, "four cafs please."

The waitress nodded before moving back, going to the front. Hera watched her turn up the volume of music before beginning to warm the caf.

Until then, the four of them looked at the other, a silence between them, but they all knew what each was thinking without there being words. Still, Depa decided to break the silence as she turned to Kanan.

"I'm sure that you heard that Darth Sidious is back," Depa told him.

Kanan nodded.

"I felt the shift in the Force too." Kanan replied.

Depa nodded again before making a brief look to Styles before sighing and telling him, "then you know what we're here for."

"Yes."

"It'll be tonight, in a couple of hours," Depa told them. "The Council didn't want to wait."

"I understand," Kanan told her.

There was a pause between them before Depa continued.

"We're asking all of our old Generals and ex-members, including Anakin Skywalker and Ahsoka Tano," Depa admitted to him in a smaller voice.

"And a lot of clones have come forward as well, especially old Captains and Commanders," Styles added.

Depa was nodding as she turned her gaze from Styles to her once Padawan, "We need as many people with experience in war as we can get."

Kanan stared between them. He wasn't exactly sure what to say about that. He hadn't seen any of those Masters since he left how many years ago, and it wasn't exactly on the best of terms. He remembered how unimpressed most of the Masters seemed to be. He never relayed to them the whole story of why he wanted to leave, but he knew with the rumours around the Temple that they could easily make the connection and fill in some blanks. That wasn't the only reason, but he knew that was what most of them were thinking. He still remembered feeling how he swore the Masters thought he betrayed them, that they were looking down on him for leaving, how he realized that he no longer was one of them and felt as though they no longer wanted him, how they seemed to just glower down at him. Even if it might not be true. Either way, he left his life there, and he didn't think that he could fit back in.

But this also wasn't normal circumstances. And he knew that it wasn't for them. If they were going to ex-members and asking them for assistance and leadership roles in the new war then they were starting to get desperate for people like him, who had experience in commanding soldiers in a war. He knew they weren't worried about losing, but wanted people who understood the dynamics of war rather than new leadership throughout. They weren't looking at him coming back as a Jedi, but as an experienced Commander. However, that meant he would still likely work with the old Masters in some missions.

But in the end, he knew it wasn't for them. It was for the Republic, for the citizens that lived in it, and the planets that needed help. Even if there may be some awkward feelings between him and the Order, that was something he would be more than willing to work through. There wasn't angered personal history, at least he was sure that there wasn't. He knew that he wouldn't be a part of the Order if he went back anyway, he would be in a separate group of Commanders and Generals that would work with the Jedi Order, all under the Republic.

He hadn't heard about General Skywalker or Tano's involvement, but then again that may be something they are keeping quiet for now so that it didn't leak out to the other side. That or they didn't agree to come back. He hadn't heard of the old clones either, but then again the new invasion of Alderaan was recent enough that clones could have easily stepped forward since he last he spoke with them.

He sighed before answering, looking down, feeling all of their eyes on him, "Depa, I was a kid in the Clone Wars. It's not like I was an actual leader and General before."

"It doesn't matter," Depa insisted gently. "It's still experience that we could use."

"And I'd be there too kid, just like old times," Styles told him gently. When Kanan turned his head up to look at him, the greying clone gave him a smile, one that not even Kanan could deny the slightest smile back.

Turning to Hera again, she gave him an encouraging and empathetic smile.

"I was on Ryloth when the Separatists invaded us the first time, Kanan," Hera told him gently. Childhood memories couldn't always escape her, the image of her mother dying, so many years underground, dead Twi'leks lying on the ground as her father carried her away, watching their glazed lifeless eyes staring back at her over his shoulder…She forced the image out of her mind again. "People are worth fighting for."

Kanan nodded before agreeing, "I know."

Style's gaze immediately flickered to Kanan, his shoulders and head perking up slightly at the implication.

"So…this means you're coming back?" he asked.

Taking in a deeper breath, Kanan nodded. If he could do something to help the people of Alderaan and anyone else who would need his help, even if a war was commencing, he would do it. It wasn't on his duty as a Jedi, it was on his own honour. He wouldn't sit back and watch evil try to eclipse the galaxy again, nor would he stand by as innocents died.

"Yes," Kanan confirmed, looking towards Depa again and he saw the familiar flame of hope in her eyes, warm memories surfacing.

Turning to Hera, Kanan was unsurprised to see her determined look as well. Even without talking, Kanan could read her thoughts, a talent that he'd learned quickly working and being with her. He knew her approval and support without her nodding.

"I can gather my things and head back to Coresau—…"

"No, Kanan," Hera interrupted him. She was staring hard at him, "This is something you need to do, I know that, but you're not going alone."

Turning her gaze a bit to everyone as they stared at her, she told Depa, "in fact, all of us, all of our crew, will be willing to help in any way that we can. I know that Sabine and Zeb would want to help."

Kanan went to open his mouth, but she gave him a look and shook her head. Looking between them all again, Hera continued, "I don't know what exactly what we can do, but we'd be willing to help any way that we can." Hera turned to Kanan again before she told him, "we're a crew, Kanan. If you're in it, we are too."

Kanan stared at her, watching the determined look in her eye that was also graced with a look of promise and care. Staring into that look, one he knew so well, he could only hope that she could understand the look in his eye and he had to hold back his hand from reaching into hers. Hera finally let out a very slight nod, one that only he would have been able to notice before she looked back at the others.

There was barely a pause before Depa nodded, a small smile tugging at her lips.

"That would really help," Depa told her. "We need all the allies that we can get."

Hera nodded, a smile starting to tug at her lips as well. She turned back to Kanan for another second before telling the others, "then it's settled." Turning back to Depa, she told her, "I don't know the exact protocol, but we would be willing to do whatever is needed. Even if we are just on a list as a supply ship."

"I will be talking with the Masters soon and I will tell them everything that was decided here," Depa told them before turning directly to Hera. "And I appreciate your help. I know the Republic will too. I will make the connections for you."

Hera nodded, a slight smile coming to her face as she looked at the older woman.

Kanan looked back at Styles before giving him a smirk.

"Looks like the old team's starting to come back together," he answered.

The older clone grinned.

"Yeah, just enough to kick the rest of those Seppies," Styles smirked right back at him.


End file.
